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(No Model.)

M. M. HITT. HARNESS SADDLE.

No. 425,792. Patented Apr. 15,1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARCELLUS M. HITT, OF SHEFFIELD, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS J. MATTHEWS, OF SAME PLACE.

HARNESS-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,792, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed August 16,1889. Serial No. 320,989. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARoELLUs M. HITT, of Sheffield, in the county of Colbert and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harness, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in harness, and especially to an improvement in harness-saddles, and has for its object to provide a detachable and adjustable tugstrap loop adapted to clamp the skirts of the saddle. and to provide a shield attachment to the loop, which efficiently prevents the snap chafing the skirts.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a harnesssaddle having my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 00 a: of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the tug-strap loop detached. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of theloop; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the body portion of the loop-plate, the loop being detached.

The pad 10, skirts l1, and saddle-tree 12 may be of the usual or of any approved construction, and the tug-straps 13 are detachably secured at their upper ends by the terrets 14, which are passed through the straps and metal plates 15, held within the pads into nuts 16 below the plates, as shown in Fig. 2, or the said terrets may be attached in any other approved manner.

The prime feature of the invention consists of the tug-strap-loop plate A. This loopplate is constructed, preferably, of spring sheet metal, and comprises a body portion 17 of greater length than width, adapted to extend transversely across theouter face of the skirts, the ends of the body being bent inward beneath the same, forming wings 18, which lie normally in planes parallel, or nearly so, to said body, and are thus adapted to clamp the skirt-pads, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and from the lower edges of the body, at or near the center, a shield or tongue 19 is downwardly projected, usually curved near the center, as best shown at a in Fig. 4.

Upon the outer face of the body of the loopplate the loop or keeper 20 is formed, its position being such that a strap passed through it from above will bear upon the shield or tongue 19. The loop-plates are placed in position upon the skirts by springing the wings over the same, the tug-straps are passed upward through the loops 20 of the plate, and the upper ends of the straps are secured by the terrets.

Upon the lower ends of the tug-straps a snap 21, of any approved construction, is secured, which snap rests upon the shield or tongue 19, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These snaps are adapted to receive each a cockeye 22, secured to the upper end of the thill-strap 23, which cockeyes are usually made, essentially, triangular, being attached to the strap by a chafe-plate 24, as illustrated in Fig. 2. By means of this construction it will be observed that the tug-strap and loop-plate may be detached from one saddle and quickly and conveniently applied to another, and that the applicatiom may be made to any saddle in the market. It will be further observed that the loop-plate only may be applied to saddles and adjusted to accommodate tug-straps of difierent lengths.

Having thus described my invention. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The improved article of manufacture consisting of the tug-strap loop hereinbefore described, the same consisting of the flat narrow body portion 17, having on its face the raised loop 20 and its end portions 18 being curved inward and projecting toward each other in a plane parallel, or nearly so, to said body, thereby forming clamps adapted to embrace the edges of the saddle-skirt and also to press against the inner side of the skirtpad, as and for the purpose specified.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a loop-plate for harness-saddles constructed of spring metal, comprising a body portion 17, having its ends 18 bent inward at the back, aloop or keeper 20,secured to the front face of the body and open vertically, and a shield 19, extending ata right angle from the lower edge of said body, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a harness-saddle, the combination, with the saddle and its terrets, of a springplate having a loop on its front face open Vertically,said platebeing adj ust-ably clamped to the saddle skirt, and a tug strap secured at one end to the terret and having the other end passed through the loop of the plate and provided with a snap, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a harnesssaddle, the combination, with the saddle and its tenets, of a springplate having a loop on its front face open vertically, said plate being adj ustably secured to the saddle-skirt and provided with an integral downwardly-extending shield or tongue, a tug-strap secured at one end toone of the terrets, having the other end passed through the loop of the plate and provided with a snap, and a cockeye engaging with the snap adapted for attachment to the thill-strap, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

' MARGELLUS M. HITT.

Witnesses:

THOMAS J. MATTHEWS, R. H. WILHOYTE. 

